Sealed
by IsuCHAN
Summary: [DISCONTINUED] Naruto and Sakura realize their feelings may be a bit more. But will Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry literally kill Sakura? And Orochimaru's Sound sensei is up to something. Rated T for violence, crude humor. NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this chapter in about an hour, but it was all typed from a notebook, so don't think it's all crap I made up on the spot. This is my favorite fic, and after typing it, I knew I HAD to load it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but please don't steal this story without giving me credit!

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Chapter One: Wait...what?!?!

"Sasuke-kuuuun...You're going to get yourself hurt!" Sakura Haruno called up to the boy. As usual — he ignored her. "Sasuke..." she murmured, mostly to herself now, sighing before she sat back down. She rested her head in her hands, scowling.

Even though Kakashi wasn't there, Sasuke was still climbing on the building rail, high above the city street. She yelled his name again, her voice angry this time. Again, he ignored her request.

A bright voice suddenly called to her. "Sakura-chan!" it called. She stood and spun around, before being caught in a giant hug by the blonde haired boy. She stumbled backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay???" he said in a loud, overly-worried voice, looking very, very frightened.

"I'm fine...I'm just a little tired. Sasuke-kun is ignoring me. I'm worried he'll fall and get hurt." Sakura murmured, glancing up at Sasuke as he continued to walk on the rail. Naruto scowled angrily, annoying that she cared so much about Sasuke.

"So? He'll be fine. He's not stupid. Heh, well, he is, but he won't fall. And if he does, it's his problem if he gets hurt, right? It's not like he's never gotten an injury before anyway." Naruto said, waving his hand at Sasuke in a bored manner, still scowling.

Sakura glared at him, but she knew somewhere inside that he was right. It was Sasuke's fault if he fell, and she knew that she would blame herself if he got hurt. Sakura sighed, hating herself for this weakness.

She felt her hair suddenly get ruddled and blinked, glancing back up at Naruto. He was grinning at her. Sakura frowned, a little confused, but then she smiled, cheered up by the grin the bright boy gave her.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, don't worry so much. You've seen Sasuke fight, you know he won't fall, and in any case, if he does, he'll probably land like a cat — on his feet." Naruto explained, hands behind his head. "Unfortunately for us all..." he added in a dark murmur. Sakura nodded, trying not to grin at his last comment, and Naruto was greatly amazed. Sakura hardly ever agreed with him.

Tap. It seemed Sasuke had jumped back down from the railings. "Again, Kakashi is late." he said, his voice irritated, sitting down, cross-legged. Naruto rolled his eyes towards the boy, folding his arms.

"Well, DUH! Kakashi-sensei is always late." Naruto snapped, glaring down at Sasuke, who glared right back at him with the same loathing. Both of them averted their eyes to gaze at Sakura, to see who she would side with, on this argument about nothing.

"Err..." she started, wondering what they wanted. She was saved from having to reply by Kakashi's bright voice.

"Yo!" he called, saluting his team. Sakura breathed her relief as both boys turned their attention back to their teacher.

"Well...ummm...today. I kind of...we don't really have any missions...Tsuande-sama doesn't really need much done. Ever since the Third died from the attack on Leaf from Sound, all everyone really has needed was work on their houses and stuff. Everything's basically fallen apart."

Naruto stared at the ground, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to stop the tears. The Third's death was very painful for him, but they were mostly getting over it. That didn't mean things weren't difficult. Sakura tried to stop herself, but couldn't help but sob and cover her mouth. Before she could say anything else, she had two comforting arms around her. She sobbed a bit harder, and rested her head on whoever was holding her's chest, continuing to cry gently.

It was too late for Sakura to shove him away by the time she realized it wasn't Sasuke holding her carefully, humming and stroking her hair. It was Naruto.

Sakura cringed slightly as she heard Naruto's muffled voice as he spoke with Kakashi.

"So, Sensei — what are we going to do? Are we going to clean the town, or what?" he asked, again his hyper self.

"Ahh, actually, I just remembered. This mission was delayed, but it's a girl you need to protect when she goes to Sand. Her name's Riiku Ikumi. She's about a year younger than you — she's 12. But she's one of those few you'll meet — younger than you are, but stronger than me." Kakashi explained to them.

Sakura felt Naruto's arms move from around her and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She frowned at the feeling and touched her stomach in a ginger way, as the sickening feeling started to go away, and she vaguely wondered why she had been so...upset...when Naruto had let go. Sakura could understand if it had been Sasuke. But it hadn't been. It was Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. The kid she said she always hated.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Are you paying any attention? Come on, let's go! Sasuke'll beat up if he don't hurry!" Naruto's voice was impatient and excited at the same time. That was normal for Naruto of course. For anyone else, it would be weird. For him, it was just plain annoying.

"You guys coming?" Sasuke called, glaring back at his two teammates with menacing eyes that lured Sakura after him.

"Come, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, darting after him until she was next to the boy she had been crushing on for years.

"Well..." Naruto started. "We don't have to pick this girl up until tomorrow. So what're we going to do?" he asked, folding his arms behind his head again.

Sakura jumped at the chance, like a lion on its prey. "Hey Sasuke-kun...if you're not doing anything, wanna go on a date later today?" she asked hopefully, squirming on her spot.

Sasuke didn't hesitate in the least. It was obvious he wasn't even going to spend a second considering her offer. "I'd rather not." he snarled, and was gone.

Instead of being disappointed as she often was, Sakura just shrugged. She was getting used to Sasuke-s rejections. She then glanced at Naruto without thinking. Seeing her glance, Naruto spoke up at once.

'Hey Sakura-chan, I'll go on a date with you." His voice was filled with that familiar warmth and hope. Usually Sakura would ignore it, and just turn down his kindness. This time, to her surprise — she didn't.

"Actually, Naruto-kun, I think I will." Right after she said it, she realized she couldn't take it back. Sakura nearly gasped, then noticed something that made her shudder. She didn't want to take it back. She was excited. Wait — what? Excited? To go on a date with NARUTO? 'Am I going crazy or something?' she asked. Inner Sakura said something quickly.

'You're not crazy! Naruto's a great guy!'

'Yes, I agree, but since when have I ever wanted to be any more than friends with him?'

'I'm not sure, but...he does care more about you than Sasuke does. He held you when you were crying.

'Yeah...I hate to admit it, but it's true. Sasuke-kun doesn't give a shit.'

She was snapped from her thoughts when she was again glomped by Naruto.

"Yay! Sakura's gonna go on a date with me! Yay, yay, yay!" he hugged her tighter, and she gagged. "Dammit! I'm sorry, Sakura-cham. I didn't mean to strangle you." Naruto said worriedly, letting her go. Sakura smiled weakly and shook her head.

"It's okay, let's go?" She really wasn't thinking at all when she took Naruto's hand in hers and began walking in a random direction. She felt the boy gently squeeze her hand and begin to tug in a different direction.

Sakura blinked and turned around, but kept her hand within his grasp. "?"

"Let's go to the park!"

"Oh...I thought you would want to get ramen."

Naruto's eyes didn't brighten as they usually did when anyone would mention ramen. "Nah, I had lunch before we got here. Plus, I don't want you to be trapped in a dank soba shop if you don't want to be."

Sakura felt her cheeks turn the same shade of pink as her hair. "Th-thanks. You're right...b-but I just thought you'd rather..." She sounded as stutter-y as Hinata, her eyes averted away from him.

She was cut off by Naruto putting his index finger over her lip. "Sh." he said. "Let's just go and have fun." He took Sakura's hand again, smiling, and began dragging her away.

And for the first time ever, she didn't resist. She smiled gently, twining her fingers in his. Sakura felt his twitch of surprise — but it just didn't seem to matter.

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**Hope you enjoyed chapter one! I really love this story, Naruto's so cute, he's like a loyal puppy! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Yayy...this chapter is a bit more serious. Sorry it took a long time to upload, ff is being all screwy if ya didn't notice. However, it might be just me. Anyhoo --- enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter Two — Revealed**

Sakura was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark. Complicated feelings had flooded her mind, along with many memories from last night. It was difficult for her to sleep with so many things on her mind.

She sighed, rolling over in the humid Spring air. She continued to try and sort out her feelings.

Sakura figured it was a little like this;

'Sasuke left me in the dirt. He couldn't care less about me. Naruto, on the other hand, would gladly risk his life to save me. He's kind to me, and he says he really cares. And I believe him. Maybe...'

Before her thoughts had a chance to take over her anymore, she had drifted to sleep.

"Sakura-chan, run, I'll save you!"

"No! I won't!"

"Just DO!"

"I can't leave you here! You're sure to die!"

"I'm sorry. I don't plan on letting you get hurt because of my cowardice!"

Sakura's eyes opened and she awoke from the dream. Light poured through her window, making her sticky and hot, warming the cold sweat all over her. Slowly, she sat up, and looked at the clock.

It was ten A.M.. She was supposed to be at their meeting spot my eleven. She swore loudly, realizing she'd have to pack quickly if she wanted to be ready on time.

Sakura grabbed a brush and ran it though her short hair twice before changing out of her pajamas. She pulled her forehead protector on and starting packing all necessities — and other thing she knew the boys would forget.

Sakura was finished packing by 10:30. She raced down the stairs and kissed her parents on the cheek, and then ran out the door, towards their usual meeting place in the middle of Konoha.

As Sakura ran, the dream came back to her. Collecting the memories, she recalled that it had been dark and silent. At first, she had been sound asleep. Then, she remembered the sound of someone moaning, The moaning of someone in great pain.

He had spoken to her. Sakura-chan. The way he said her name made it positive that it had been Naruto. He had told Sakura to leave. She had said no. He had finally had her convinced — then she had woken up.

Suddenly, Sakura saw Kakashi and Sasuke. She was relieved to see that Naruto wasn't there. She wasn't the latest.

"Ah, Sakura...I'm sorry. The mission has been canceled. Something turn up." Kakashi told her quickly, averting his eyes before she could watch him more intently. Sakura blinked, confused.

"What's wrong? Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke-kun? What happened?" She began to get more scared. "Why do you look so worried?" A sudden thought struck her and she became even more urgent. "Where's Naruto-kun?!"

Sakura's eyes widened even more as Sasuke clenched his fist and glared at the ground and Kakashi winced. "Tell me!" she demanded them, her whole body shaking, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sakura...Ever since he was born, the towns-people have hated Naruto. Do you know why?" Kakashi's voice was soft and sad.

Slowly, she shook her head, realizing that she didn't.

"Naruto's in the hospital. She towns-people blame him for Hokage-sama's death."

Her eyes became even large with shock. Only one word would come out — "Why?"

"You have heard of how the Fourth sealed away the nine-tailed demon fox, correct? Naruto...he is that demon!" Kakashi's voice was hushed, yet frightening at the same time, leaving Sakura to stare at him as the words slowly sank in, and the pain became less and less natural.

There were a few moments of silence before Sakura's voice came back to her.

"No. Naruto is not the nine-tailed fox." Sakura whispered, her voice gentle, but strong.

"There's no point denying—"

"I don't care if it is sealed within him! That's not the point! The Naruto I know — the one we all know — he is no demon! He is Naruto Uzumaki..." Her voice first started out harsh, strong and loud, but it slowly turned into a soft whisper, the weakest words she had ever spoken.

Without thinking, Sakura dropped her bag, and dashed away towards the hospital.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Again, I really like this story and all its fluff. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three! Finally! Enjoy.

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Chapter Three — Last Person to Care

She was breathing heavily, when suddenly, Sasuke was next to her. Then Kakashi was on her other side. She glanced at Sasuke, before continuing to run, trying her hardest to ignore the boy.

"Sakura, you know, you're the last person I'd expect to care about Naruto." Sasuke said carelessly, smirking at her. Sakura blinked, surprised at his words. They stung her hard.

Then, without another thought about him, she turns to face him and kicked the back of Sasuke's dead. He fell face first onto the cement, hitting hard. She stared at her teammate, blood trickling from his head, and glared, ignoring the cracking sound as he fell.

Kakashi skidded to a stop and stared at Sakura in amazement, before bending down by his pupil. And then, Sakura was gone.

Ten Minutes Later

"Uzumaki Naruto's room, please." Sakura mumbled, trying to keep her voice steady as she panted heavily.

The nurse smiled. "Room 221 on the second floor, Miss. Uzumaki-san has had a lot of visitors lately." Sakura nodded, not paying attention, and rushed up the stairs after bowing quickly to the nurse.

"Hinata-chan! Are Shino and Kiba with Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked once she was up the stairs and saw Hinata sitting alone by Naruto's door.

"Oh, S–Sa—Sakura-chan. Y-yes, Kiba-k-kun and Shino-kun are with N-N-Naruto-kun. I hope you don't m-mind but...I-I'd like to see Naru–uto-kun after Shino and Ki-Kiba are done." Hinata Hyuga stammered, smiling weakly at the pain haired girl.

Sakura smiled back softly, guilt pressing her heart. Everyone (besides Naruto) knew that Hinata has a major crush on the boy.

"S-Sa—Sakura-chan...Why did the villagers d-de-decide to hurt Naruto?" stuttered Hinata, staring at Sakura with wide, frightened eyes. She didn't answer, saved as the loud Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru walked in. Each of them held some kind of flowers, chattering as they sat down.

A few minutes later, Hinata's teammates came back out of Naruto's room. "You can go see him now. Oh, Sakura. Yeah, Naruto mentioned you, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei. Where are they?" Sakura's cheeks went pink as Kiba asked her this question, remembering how she had injured the raven haired boy.

"...?" But Kiba didn't question her any further, sitting down to wait for Hinata to come back out.

A few minutes of the quiet chattering of Ino, and Kakashi and Sasuke had entered the waiting room. Sasuke had a bandage across his forehead, and his forehead protector around his neck. He was glaring hard at Sakura. She gazed back at him, her aqua-green eyes in pain. She wanted to say she was sorry — but at the same time, she didn't. She wanted to slap him. Make him angry.

Before that feeling to take over, Hinata had come out of Naruto's room. The flowers she had been holding were gone. Sakura inferred that she had given them to Naruto. "Sakura-chan, you can go in now." Hinata said softly, smiling. She seemed in a much better mood.

"Thanks." Sakura mumbled, glancing at Sasuke and Kakashi, but neither of them seemed to want to follow her in. Averting her eyes to the ground, she entered the room to see Naruto.

To her great shock, what she saw was Naruto, humming softly, hands clasped together, smiling. Sakura couldn't help but smile back at the bandaged boy. His blonde hair was a bit flat, though it still had that choppy-ness she knew and loved. His bangs fell in front of his left eye (XD Yeah, I know, WHAT bangs?) and he tossed his head lightly, sending the bangs to the side. But instead of staying away from his closed eye, they just fell over it. (Do the emo flip!)

Sakura tried to hold it in, she really did, but she failed, giggling. The way he flipped his bangs made her laugh, it just looked so stupid.

Naruto's eyes opened, and he swore a bit loudly, looking at Sakura. "Erm...Sorry about that. Damn...I knew someone was coming, but I didn't know it'd be you." He grinned at her, and frowned when he saw her tear-filled eyes. "What's wrong?"

Seeing him like this, wounded, hurt, yet smiling, it made her cry, and made her remember the words Kakashi had spoken to her earlier that day A sob broke through her, and she gulped. "Kakashi-sensei...He..." She sobbed again. "He told us." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Naruto's blue eyes grew wide as he stared in fear and shock, wishing, praying that she was lying, or that this was some kind of dream. "No!" he said, shaking his head. "NO!" His expression was angry, crazed.

"Naruto-kun, please, calm down!" Sakura cried, rushing to his side. She fell limp next to his bed, staring at him through saddened eyes. "Naruto-kun, it's okay. I don't care. You aren't the nine-tailed demon fox. You are no demon." Sakuras voice was gentle and caring as she watched him calm.

His shining blue eyes stared into her green ones. "Are you...do you really mean that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. For a moment, she didn't answer, unable to stop the tears.

"Of course." she murmured, nodding, reaching out her hand to stroke his hair. She ignored the tears rolling down her cheeks as she gazed into his blue eyes. They were so gentle, so scared, it makes her want to hug the agonized boy. Not even caring, she reached her arms out further and wrapped them around Naruto. At first, she felt Naruto tense. Then, slowly, his bandaged arms followed suit, slipping around her back in a harm, perfect hug.

It was silent for a few moments as they held onto each other. Not an awkward silence. A caressing silence, as if each of their auras had mixed, giving them both a bubbling warm feeling.

There was a knock, but they merely twitched in reply before melting into the embrace again. Another impatient knock before the door opened.

A pair of black eyes watched them, and an extra one, that belonged to Kakashi.

The perfectness was broken when Kakashi spoke. "Sasuke, maybe he should just leave."

Sakura jumped and her arms were gone from around Naruto. She stared in shock at Sasuke and Kakashi, and felt her cheeks grow hot, and knew she was blushing. Sakura glanced at Naruto, who too was pink in the face.

Suddenly, without warning, Sakura smirked, glaring at Sasuke. "If anything, Sasuke-kun...You're the last person to care."

Sasuke couldn't move. His dark eyes widened as he watched Sakura, the arrogance across her lips. She stalked past her sensei and teammate, smiled at Naruto and Kakashi, gave Sasuke a last death glare and said, "Well...You three have a nice visit." waving and then leaving.

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**Sasuke's just been p0wned. **


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a short chapter, and I think it's kind of sad. Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been really busy! So I hope I can update sooner, I promise I'll NEVER give up on any of my fanfictions, unless like, no one's reading them. I swear...So don't give up on me! Please!

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Chapter Four — What Happened to Your HEAD?

Once Sakura had left, Naruto watched his sensei and other teammate curiously. "What's up with her?" he asked. Sasuke shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and continued to scowl instead of answering.

Naruto sweat-dropped and watched Sasuke nervously. He then glanced inquiringly at Kakashi, still wanting to know an answer. "Umm...?"

Kakashi replied, "She's just having a hard time coping with her feelings. I'm sure she'll learn to deal with it. Don't worry too much about her. She's spunky." he explained, with a bored sigh.

Naruto nodded vaguely and then stared at Sasuke. His normal expression turned into a frown. He arched an eyebrow inquiringly at the other boy, noting the bandages around his head and his leaf forehead protector around his neck.

"What happened to your HEAD?" he asked, loudly and obnoxiously, as usual. He eeped when Sasuke's face went utterly hard and he continued to glare at the ground. But instead of not replying, Sasuke decided he would piss Naruto off.

"A pink haired _bitch _kicked me." Sasuke said softly, a smirk on his lips, the same smirk that always pissed Naruto off, that he knew would make him mad. Truly, Sasuke didn't know why he wanted to rile him up. Maybe he just wanted to see the reaction.

It was not pleasant.

For a moment, Naruto was silent.

"How can you even say that After all she's ever done for us — for you! — all you ever do is hurt her! You know her feelings, yet all you can do is reject her! You're so selfish! You're always hurting her, makings things worse! Don't you even give a damn?! She's your teammate, she's supposed to be your friend, yet all you can do is laugh, and treat her lower than dirt! She even treats me better than you treat her! How can you be so — so SELFISH?"

Kakashi was shocked to see Naruto in tears. He knew that Naruto had a crush on Sakura, but never would've guessed — no one would ever guess that he actually...

Sasuke stared at Naruto in disbelief. "I thought you just had a stupid crush on her. I never imagined you'd care so much."

"Of course I care! Sakura-chan has always been there for me! And even more for you, you bastard! And to repay her, you make her seem like shit! You fucking—" he started coughing, and hard, and Kakashi's eye widened when blood came out instead of just spit and mucus.

"Dammit! Sasuke, get a nurse, and be quick about it! Don't just stand there!"

Before Sasuke darted out of the room, Naruto saw Kakashi. Then everything went blurry.

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**Chapter five should be up soon! So keep checking back! I'm sorry I'm so slow!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter's still a bit short, I'll admit it, but it's better, and it's all fluffy and stuff. Who doesn't love fluff? Now I wish I had worked on my other stories, because now the documents uploader is working. But I didn't...PLEASE FORGIVE ME! And keep reading! I'll update soon, I promise!

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Chapter Five — Night Time Visit.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Can we see him?"

"Ohh, I'm so worried..."

"Jiraiya-sama...You can go into see him now."

The nurse's soft voice entered the waiting room and everyone went quiet. Jiraiya stood up solemnly to enter Naruto's room.

The short, blonde thirteen year old yawned and smiled at his sensei. "Hey!" Naruto said, sounding a bit more perky than he probably should. Jiraiya watched him for a moment, before sighing with relief.

"Naruto, I won't be staying long. All of you classmates are waiting outside to see you, I'm sure they're quite annoyed to know that I got here first." Jiraiya told him, nodding to the door. Naruto's blue eyes flickered to the door and Jiraiya watched as his ears and nose twitched a little, trying to figure out who was waiting for him.

"Is Sakura-cha—?" he asked after a bit, but he was cut off before he had the time to finish.

"No, she's not, sorry. Sakura is helping her parents clean their house. I don't think she knows about your argument with the Uchiha yet." Jiraiya said at once, as if to spare Naruto from further humiliation. "Well, since you're feeling better, I'll let you see your friends.:

Neji, Lee, and Tenten came in afterwards. Naruto, in order to survive telling all his friends that he was fine, thought about Sakura. Her smile, her voice. The soft touch of her arms around him made him shudder with pleasure. The perfect cherry-like scent that always came from her. It was all too much.

"N—Naruto-kun?" He opened his eyes slowly and glanced around. It was dark inside the hospital scent, but he'd always recognize that scent, and her soft voice, even at a time when he was half asleep.

"Sakura-chan? What — what are you doing here?" he murmured, fumbling himself into a weak sitting position and yawning, getting a better look at her. She was wearing red Pj's. Her pants were fluffy with strawberries covering them, and her shirt was a tight dark red tank-top. Though her green sandal's didn't match, she wore them anyway. Her pink hair was not tied by anything, so she often had to brush it away from her face.

"Kakashi-sensei told me you had gotten sick, and I was worried. I heard it happened when you were yelling at Sasuke about something. But what could be so important you'd choke yourself over it?" Sakura asked, staring at him worriedly. Oh, there were a million things.

"That bastard." Naruto said, his simple response as he remembered yesterday's events. "Sakura-chan...I don't think I can say it. It'd break you heart." he sighed, watching her with a heavy expression. The curiosity on her face merely grew, and now he wished he hadn't said anything.

"Why?" Sakura asked him softly. She was staring to feel very scared, frightened about what could possibly break her heart.

Naruto looked away. "Sakura-chan...Truthfully, I pray that you already know this. Sasuke doesn't care about you. At all."

For a single second, there was silence. "Of course I know." she whispered, her voice breaking, and Naruto understood. Not because whispering was difficult. But just because she was broken. Even the littlest bit.

Naruto was angered, and confused, by her reply. "Then why do you put up with all the crap he puts you through?! Why do you worry so damn much?!" asked Naruto, trying not to cough, and failing.

She reached a hand forwards and stroked his cheek with two of her fingers, ignoring the blush that she could clearly see in the dark. "I'm sure anyone could say the same about you. I treat you like shit, always thinking about Sasuke, and somehow you manage to continue that irritable clinging! You wouldn't believe how annoying that could get! You're just like me." Now that she said it, she realized how truthful this was and smiled to herself.

Sakura paused for a moment. "Except I was chasing after the wrong person." Yes, those words would do.

Knowing Naruto, she figured that he would have no idea what she meant, or at least have a very difficult few hours trying to figure out the hidden meaning within hidden meanings, or whatever the hell Kakashi was told them at their first meeting. She stood and studied his face. Sakura could tell from his eyes that he was confused.

"Well, Naruto-kun, good night." She watched him sit up weakly and continued to stare at him. Sakura didn't notice as their eyes got closer, as he pushed himself up and she leaned down. She could almost feel his lips, she could feel his breath, and then...something creaked.

Sakura jumped and darted over to the window she had come in from. "Sayonara, baka!" she whispered, a grin spread across her face, her cheekbones colored from what had just happened. She then climbed out the window, and in the next moment, she was gone.

Naruto woke up to sunshine and whiteness. At first, he wasn't sure where he was, then memories from two days ago came back, everything came back. He was in a hospital, oh joy. He sighed, and sat up, stretching his arms. He stood up shakily, glad that no IV was tugging him back down.

He glanced around, and even more recollections came back, memories of last night and Sakura's visit. A warm, giddy feeling filled his stomach and he laughed out loud. He continued laughing. The tears welled up in his eyes and started streaming down his cheeks. But he didn't care in the least.

"This is what it's like!" he whispered to himself, continuing to cry, eyes closed with a grin. "This is love!" His words struck him hard, like an electrical shock. He barely realized what he was saying. He sobbed weakly and sat back down on the bed, the tears streaming freely down his cheeks as he tried to organize every little thought in his damned brain.

'I love Sakura. Whether she loves me or not — I don't know. But I know what I love her, no matter what, and it doesn't to me, whether she feels the same or not, it doesn't matter. I'll still protect her. Because I do love her.'

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**Yes, I believe there's a bit of OOC in this chapter...But I absolutely adore the ending, so be sure to stay tuned. Yay NaruSakuness! (waves flag)  
Naruto: I'm so cool!  
Sakura: (sigh) I suppose.  
Naruto: Skwee! D  
Sakura: (giggle)  
Simone: plays tamberine Yachacha!  
Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay, I FINALLY uploaded! What the hell is wrong with me?!**

**Oh, by the way...I'm making a retarded plot Christmas special, dedicated to the wonderful SAKURA HARUNO!**

**It's gonna be a ten-shot, for like...10 Sakura pairings! I'm going to start it in two days, and make a chapter every day! The chapters will be short, but it's gonna be good, too! Soo...I hope you guys read it, and enjoy this latest installment! Takes place three years after the last chapter...

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Chapter Six — So We Meet Again — Three Years Later

Naruto looked in the mirror, studying his features. Blonde hair was the same as always, no different from the messy blob it had been only three years ago. His eyes had stayed that same crystal blue, perhaps even more-so than when he had been thirteen.

Naruto Uzumaki glanced at the photo he had on his dresser and stared at it for a few seconds. It was a picture of his teammate, and his old sensei, Kakashi. It was the first group photo they had taken together. He stared at Sakura, who was smiling, all cute, like she always had before Sasuke had left. Like she used to be able to smile. His heart throbbed, and he turned his eyes away,

"Sakura-chan...I wonder if I'll ever see her again..." Naruto murmured to himself, before dressing and going outside.

The smell was too familiar for him to be imagining. Still, he breathed it in again, getting high off of the smell of cherries. At first, he wasn't sure what the scent was — or who it was, for that matter. It could have just drifted by, had he not seen the familiar tuft of pink hair.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled at once, not thinking, not caring. As if by magic, the streets cleared some, and he had a better view of his teammate, his friend, the girl he had crushed so hard on. Sakura whirled around, hearing her name being called, and stared in absolute shock at the sixteen year old blonde.

"N–Naruto-kun!" she finally called, getting over her shock and running towards him. Without another thought, she threw her arms around him, and he enveloped her, and they both held on as if this was a matter of life and death.

Sakura remembered their first hug and suddenly held on much tighter. She breathed in his scent, the smell of ramen that had been made his permanent aroma. She loved it, because it made her feel warm inside, as if she could hold onto him forever.

Finally, Naruto reluctantly broke the embrace. "Damn...Wow, Sakura, you really look beautiful. So much different than before." His grin made her smile, and her smile made him grim harder.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun." Sakura said, closing her light green eyes calmly. It all felt so right. "How have you been doing, training with Jiraiya and such?" she asked, keeping the conversation light.

"Great, thanks for asking. And might I ask you the same question, my beautiful cherry blossom?" Naruto flirted, his grin widening. Sakura wasn't really sure why she blushed, he had said stupid things like this before, but she did.

"I'm not yours, Naruto, and I'm doing wonderful." she said snappishly back, but it was very hard to be mad at Naruto at the moment, so she calmed pretty quickly. There was no point in her making a big deal out of something that, truthfully, was a small deal.

Instead of reacting childishly, as Sakura had thought he would do, and was almost positive the old Naruto would do, he merely smiled gently at her. "Not yet you're not." he agreed with her, "But believe me, I'm going to try!" he promised. Sakura felt her cheeks burn, and she was sure she must be pink in the face. Naruto continued to grin, before shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Sakura asked Naruto slyly, arching an eyebrow inquiringly towards him. His laugh made her smile again, and soon enough, she was laughing with him.

"Yes." Naruto finally said in a soft voice, after their laughter had died down. "Because that just means..." He hesitated a little, as if unsure if this was the right thing to say. "It means that I only want you for myself." The way he said it, and the way he stared at her, scared Sakura. Before she knew what was going on, or had the chance to stop it, he had pushed her gently against the wall.

He ignored the people watching and whispered, spreading rumors already, and grabbed her hand, dragging her down an alley. Sakura stared at Naruto's back, her heart beating faster and faster, her lungs trying to get nonexistent air. This was not like Naruto.

Thud.

"Ow!" she winced, as he pushed her against the brick. She was scared out of her wits by now by the hard, cold look in his eyes as he grasped her against the wall.

"Naru — Oh! Mmm...!"

Her eyes closed. She didn't remember much after that besides how hard he held her wrists and how perfect his lips felt against hers.

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**Teehee. Ohh, I'm so evil. Look forward to the next chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Return of the bastard. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Tis sad again...god, I'm killing people, aren't I?

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Chapter Seven - Sasuke-kun!

"So...er...Sakura-chan, have you heard from Sasuke?" Naruto asked, glancing down at Sakura nervously. He had tried sounding casual, and failed as they continued their walk down the dirt road.

At first, Sakura couldn't find the words within her to answer. It had only been about a half an hour since the boy who now stood besides her had kissed her. It just felt so strange — she and Naruto had been such good friends for so long, and having him kiss her felt weird. He had held the kiss until he needed breath, and then held onto her like nothing else in the world could possibly matter so much.

_Flashback_

_He let go of the kiss._

"_N-Naruto?! What—?"_

_He was holding her tightly. She was so close to him she could feel the violent shaking of his body against hers._

_Suddenly, her shoulder was damp. She tilted her head slowly to look down at her friend, whom she hadn't seen for three long years. Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. He looked in so much pain — tears had formed and now fell gently down his cheeks and onto the shoulder that he was leaning on._

"_Naruto-kun...I don't want to hurt you...But please...tell me why. Why did you kiss me? Naruto...I just don't know what I'm supposed to say." Her voice was weak, loose, and wary. To be strong was something so hard in front of a person like Naruto. Especially when he cried._

"_Then don't say anything!" was his sharp reply, before he gripped her shoulders, though more loosely than when he had kissed her. "Sakura, it's been three years since I saw you! And I know I have no right to be saying this now, admitting this after all of the time we've spent apart...But Sakura, ever since that day you came to see me in the hospital...I realized something very important. Oh! Sakura-chan, I can't do this anymore. Sakura, I love you." _

_End Flashback._

"Umm...No, I haven't. Not at all." Sakura finally replied to his question about Sasuke. She frowned, confused. What made Naruto think that Sasuke would keep in contact with her, of all people? He had basically broken her heart — as if she still wanted to talk to him. And you'd think, after everything, Naruto would have realized that Sasuke cared more about Naruto then he ever had for Sakura.

"Oh, okay, just wondering." Naruto said quietly, looking embarrassed about such a stupid question. It was even more difficult for him to keep a conversation going with what he had admitted to her not so long ago.

"Sakura-chan, I just want you to know that I'm sorry about what I said. I'm not saying that it isn't true — because it is, believe me. But I think that maybe I said it too quickly. Sakura-chan, I really just want you to be happy. I'm sorry if what I said frightened you."

Sakura looked at him with solemn eyes and shook her head. "Don't say you're sorry, Naruto. It's not your fault, I don't bla—" Sakura's eyes widened and she was cut off, staring past Naruto now.

"Sasuke-kun." she breathed weakly. Naruto spun around on the spot, and sure enough, right behind him, was an older version of his friend, his brother, his rival.

"Sasuke..."

The other sixteen year old boy was much taller now, but for some reason, he looked very plain. Whether it was just the fact that his eyes were dull and his clothes now beared resemblance with traditional Sound attire, both of them were unsure. He wore a v-cut white shirt that showed off his pale chest, and black pants, and then the traditional black sandals. Naruto snarled under his breath at the site of the light purple bow that Sasuke wore around his waist — Orochimaru.

Sasuke stared at his two teammates for a moment before walking forwards. His eyes landed on Sakura — she flinched. Yet, she didn't avert her eyes from the boy she had once loved so much. He looked so different. It took all she had not to let tears begin dripping down her cheeks.

Naruto continued to glare at Sasuke, and he merely gazed back. He looked so different — yet the curse mark on his shoulder from such a long time ago still shone on the back of his neck.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Haruno Sakura. If Kakashi was here...It would be perfect again, wouldn't it?" There was a very dry sarcasm in his voice as his dull eyes scanned the two of them over again, landing on Sakura first, then Naruto again.

Naruto continued his staring at his old comrade. "You're back." he stated loudly, obviously. "Where's you Sound forehead protector...huh?" It took all of his strength to force those harsh words from himself. His voice trembled and cracked.

"I don't have one, Naruto."

Sure, he heard him, that was for sure. And Naruto understood what he mean, even. But that didn't mean he wasn't about to get utterly pissed at him.

Sasuke barely dodged the angry punch, swearing. "What the hell, Naruto!? I'm your friend!"

"Friend!?! HA! You're a traitor, you BASTARD!" Naruto yelled through his bubbling anger. A series of punches was lashed out at Sasuke. He blocked and dodged all but one, being slammed into the ground.

Without thinking, she cried out in worry. "Sasuke-kun!" During the one second that Naruto was distracted, Sasuke leapt up. Naruto barely looked, and even though he did, he was still shoved backwards.

Sakura could only now stare in silent pain. Before she could sort out the many emotions overcoming her usually calm composure, Sasuke had silently unsheathed four shuriken, one between each of his fingers.

Shik. Shik. Shik. Shik. Each shuriken hit their mark, perfectly. Accurate and precise at the same time, each shuriken running through the skin near the heart, making a sensible amount of blood coming from each wound.

It might have actually killed Naruto had the shuriken hit him. Unfortunately — the four weapons ended up hitting the wrong person. The shuriken had flown through Sakura.

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**Reviews would make me giggle! So give em please! (pouty eyes) For Simone? **


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter's short...Again. Ick, but it's romantic! (Ick doesn't really fit, now does it?) Anyways, enjoy OOCness, and my first attempt at writing NaruSaku...Believe me, I wrote this almost a year ago (dammit, it's been so long!), and I've gotten a lot better.

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Chapter 8 — Our Tears, Blood Red

Slowly, Sakura moved her hand to her chest. The Chinese stars were making the wounds ooze blood. Suddenly, the pain became strikingly obvious, and she moaned, before coughing hard. Blood dripped down her chin and stained her clothes. She then staggered backwards, and fell, body sprawled on the ground, blood still soaking through her clothes.

The sight came to him, and he saw Sakura's pain. He almost felt it. "SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled, falling to his knees besides the pink haired kunoichi. Panic rose in his mind, and he began to yank the blood shuriken from her body and threw them to the ground. He ignored the blood and ripped open her shirt, attempting to heal the wounds.

"Dammit all...She'll die from loss of blood if we — WE, SASUKE, WE — don't help her. Get Tsuande-bachan! Now!" Naruto yelled to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded curtly, his expression showing the tiniest bit of fright, and disappeared towards the Fifth Hokage's office.

"Clenching his teeth, Naruto ripped off a strip of his own clothing and folded it thickly before pressing it against the flesh wound Sakura was suffering from, trying to stop the terrible bleeding. Slower, but still too quickly, the blood soaked through the torn piece of cloth.

While Naruto cried, Sakura's blood streamed. "Don't die." the boy kept praying, every second dreadfully long.

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"Sakura got hit with four shuriken!? All in the same spot!? How!?" The fact that Sakura was so horribly wounded made Tsunade almost forget that it was Sasuke standing in her office.

He winced slightly at the sharp tone in her voice He mumbled, trying to get away with saying it, but it not being heard, "It was kind of me..." He prayed she didn't hear him. She did.

"What!? Come on, Sasuke, we have to hurry! And Naruto's with her, correct?" Tsunade said, rushing down the stairs with Sasuke at her heels.

"Yeah." Sasuke responded quickly, trying to keep up with Tsunade's speed. They raced through town, heading to the outskirts where Sasuke knew Naruto and Sakura were.

"Naruto!" yelled Tsunade, pushing the sobbing boy off of Sakura. "Is she still breathing?" Panic had already entered the fifth's voice as her only reply was the young blonde sobbing.

He shrugged. "I — I can't tell!" he cried, hugging his knees weakly. He continued to sob, eyes red. Sasuke and Tsunade both fell down next to Sakura, and in quick silence, aside for Naruto's tears, Tsunade began to focus her chakra.

She put her hands near Sakura's chest and began to heal the wound. Once it had disappeared, she pressed her ear to Sakura's chest, listening for a heart beat.

"Is she..." Sasuke's voice was hoarse, scared, even if only a litt.e

"She'll be fine." Tsunade said gently with a sigh. She picked up Sakura's body, wrapping the ripped remains of her shirt across her chest, and began to walk back towards Konoha. Naruto stood shakily, wiping away tears, and scampered after, Sasuke following in silence. Every now and then, Naruto would glare at Sasuke, a certain kind of hate rising in him. Hating his eyes, hating his body, hating the way he walked so calmly. It just made him boil.

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"S-Sakura-chan...If she alright?" Hinata asked, quivering slightly.

"Don't worry, Hinata, I'm sure she'll be fine." Kiba assured the quiet girl in a calm matter. Even so, he looked worried, eyes troubled.

"What about Naruto?" Of all the voices and expressions, Shino's was the calmest. He looked at the blonde-haired boy. "He looks like he's going to die."

Kiba and Hinata both shot a glance at Naruto, looking worried. Hinata bit her lip nervously, twiddling with her fingers like she always did when she felt like she was in an awkward situation. She then looked at Kiba, eyes desperate. "He looks devastated. She whispered weakly, feeling feeling her heart ache over how much Naruto cared for Sakura.

The nurse walked out of Sakura's room and everyone looked up expectantly. "She's awake." the nurse said, smiling elegantly. "Who would like to see her first?" No one volunteered, but all eyes were on Naruto.

"How about you, Uzumaki-san?" the nurse said politely. Naruto stood and nodded mutely, and she lef him into the room. About a minute later she came out, and was bombarded with questions.

Naruto walked into Sakura's room and stared at her. Her eyes were opened and she was gazing at the ceiling, as if perplexed. Blood-stained gauge was wrapped around her from her chest to right above her belly button. She wore no top, so all that covered her chest was the bandaging.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto breathed with relief, glad to be able to see her. "Oh god!" He laughed. "You're alive! Oh, thank God." He sat next to her and stared into her eyes. Sakura stared dully back.

"Naruto...remember the time I came to the hospital to see you in the middle of the night?" Sakura asked softly. She sounded calm, but Naruto could see the fear and sadness that clouded her eyes.

"Yeah." he finally replied. "Of course I remember. I was so happy to see you!"

"Do you remember what I said? After I told you that I was just like you? I said 'Except I was chasing after the wrong person.' What do you think that meant?" Sakura murmured softly from her spot on the bed.

Naruto paused to think for a moment. "You meant...That each of us...Was chasing after something we figured we'd never catch. And you were...aiming after the wrong person. Sasuke... S-Sa-Sakura-chan? If Sasuke's your wrong person...Then who is your right person?" Naruto looked into those eyes, afraid that if he looked away, even blinked, Sakura would shatter into a million pieces, and he'd never see her again.

"Naruto." Sakura whispered. Her right hand reached up and touched his cheek. "I'm sure you can guess. He's so close, yet so far. I made him think I hated him, but he always held on. And I'm touching him at this very moment in time." she murmured, sitting up.

His heart was pounding as she spoke. She was so close, so close. She looked so fragile, her skin as cold and soft as a porcelain doll.

"Do I have to ask..." Naruto's voice was stained.

Finally, Sakura smiled. "No...Just do it."

Carefully, he held her face in his hands. It took him a few long seconds for him to ready himself. And then, just like that...their lips were together.

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**NaruSaku kissies are the bestest! Hope you guys liked. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Mm...Sai appears in this chapter. He's pretty OOC, though he was worse when I originally wrote this. Umm...Not sure what I think of this chapter, but now there's only six chapters left of Sealed. (I still love that name) Anyways, I know I suck at making long chapters, but that's because I originally wrote this in a freakin' notebook at school. So not only is it sloppy with a lot of mistakes, but it's short. Hope you enjoy, however.

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Chapter Nine — Distance

Naruto slept in the chair next to her bedside that night. He wanted to be there to protect her, because it was impossible to know whatever could happen in the dead of the night. While others were visiting that day, Naruto went home to pack some things for the night. When he came back to the hospital, he found Sakura and her best friend Ino chattering away.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw Sakura's eyes light up, her smile glowing radiantly. It gave him the hope he needed. It made everything seem perfectly worth any trouble he had gone through, or any trouble he might go through soon.

Naruto walked over to them and gestured towards the flowers that were on the side-table next to the ones he and Hinata had bought together with his hand. "Those are nice flowers you got Sakura-chan, Ino." he said to the blonde politely.

Ino looked up at him and grinned foolishly, like he had seen her do before. "Thank you, Naruto. Yeah, they're from the shop my family still runs. I cut them myself." she bragged slightly, watching Naruto with eyes nearly the same colors as Sakura's. He glanced at Sakura, who smiles happily back at him. Ino stood.

'Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, Sakura-chan." Ino said, waving a quick goodbye at her best friend, who waved cheerfully back, before Ino walked out of the hospital room. Glancing around awkwardly, Naruto barely even noticed the soft, mesmerizing tune coming through the open window.

Naruto sat down in the chair Ino had been sitting in. "Had a nice talk?" he asked, voice gentle. "Ino looks very different. Seems she's grown her hair out. And a change of clothes...She's taller too. She looks pretty." Naruto complimented.

Sakura nodded. "She was surprised I kept my hair short. I actually did kinda want to grow it out, but Tsunade-sama convinced me otherwise." Sakura twiddled her finger through her short locks before continuing. "Ino seemed to have though my affection for Sasuke grew over the last two and a half years." she explained.

"Hmm..." Naruto murmured thoughtfully. "I'm not sure...How that would...work, but I suppose...Umm..." He trailed off, biting his lip gently.

"Ha!" Sakura scoffed. "What makes you think I seriously like him more? Naruto, he nearly killed me and I've kissed you twice. Who do you think I'm more romantically involved with, eh?" Sakura smirked, teasing Naruto. She twitched, scowling, looking out the window. That tune was beginning to piss her off. She then turned her head back to Naruto, watching him curiously, eyes laughing. She leaned forwards and kissed him on the nose, giggling.

Naruto blushed, and watched her. 'If I told her...would she say the same thing back? I can't be sure yet...Even though we've kissed, she probably still misses Sasuke. I don't blame her. DAMMIT! Why can't I just say it!?' Naruto thought to himself, a battle raging inside of his own mind.

"Sakura-chan, I—" he started, but was cut off by a loud, obnoxious voice.

"Sakuuraaaaaaaa-saaaaan!"

'Oh no. OH NO.'

'Oh, not him! Not now!'

"Sakura-san!" The door slammed open. "I heard you were injured so I came to see you! How are you doing?" The pale boy smiled his usual fake smile down at Sakura.

"I'm fine, Sai, there's no need to make a big deal about it..." mumbled Sakura, looking at the sheets with a blush on her face. She looked embarrassed.

"But it was Sasuke-kun. You always told me not to insult him because I knew nothing, but I was right! He could've killed you. KILLED YOU." Sai emphasized, eyes narrowing.

Naruto could feel a vein begin to throb in his temple. WHY was Sai flirting with Sakura NOW of all times? He was socially retarded! He did the most stupid things — first he calls her a hag, and calls her best friend beautiful! Why now of all times? How many times had Sai insulted Sakura? There was no point counting. It was enough to make Naruto mad.

"Really, I'm alright..." Sakura murmured hopelessly as Sai took her hand and lightly kissed it. What made Naruto the angriest was her glowing cheeks.

Glancing at Naruto with a smirk, Sai spoke again, his voice flirtatious. "I would kiss your wound, but I doubt that Naruto would be pleased with that." cooed Sai in the most seductive voice he could manage. Naruto had to admit, those books he had read about women must have made him pretty well informed.

Sakura felt as if a lightning bolt had just ran her through. Her cheeks grew a darker pink, and she could feel her entire face burning.

"SAI! Quit being such a friggin' tease to Sakura! There's no WAY you actually like her like that, and even if you did, you have a sick way of showing it!" snapped Naruto, losing it. What shocked Naruto the most was Sakura's hurt expression.

"SO! I suppose no one besides you can flirt with me and actually care!? Maybe it's true — Sai doesn't give a damn about me! But what makes you think you have the right to say that his affection showing is sick! Look at yourself!" Her eyes twinkled with tears and Naruto stagged backwards. Sai let go of her hand and looked at the floor. Guilt was clear in his eyes. Sakura's already pumped up anger became larger as she cursed. "AND DAMMIT! Whoever is playing that flute needs to just shut up!"

The two boys frowned at each other, then peered down at Sakura, who was crying now. They both felt guilty for causing her more pain than she deserved, and Naruto sighed quietly. He agreed with her on one thing, however. That flute was annoying him to no end.

Nothing else mattered to Naruto as he bent down and wrapped his arms around Sakura in a comforting way. Naruto hated seeing Sakura-chan cry — especially whenever she cried over him, or because of him. That just made it hurt more.

Relief came easily to Sakura, however, as she followed suit, wrapping her arms around Naruto in a tight hug. Neither of them saw Sai smile and roll his eyes, because the calming tune of the flute was soothing them so. They both hated it...But it had such a pretty sound.

"You two are closer than I have ever seen. Last time I checked, Sakura-san wouldn't stop hitting you, Naruto-kun. I guess you two are on much better terms " Sai said, breaking their embrace more awkwardly than either of them had hoped for. "Well, at least I though Sakura had some pride. Sasuke's good looking, at least! He beats Naruto by a long shot — at least he has a penis!" Sai explained his reasoning bluntly.

Naruto scowled, opening his mouth to speak. However, he was cut off by Sakura. He was surprised that her voice remained calm after the way Sai had insulted both of her teammates.

"Just because he may...Look good, doesn't mean I'll like him, or even love him more than Naruto, Sai! Naruto had taken care of me and stayed by my side for the longest time of anyone. Perhaps, too long. Why do you think I jumped in front of Sasuke's attack to save him?" Her eyes were sad, yet calm as she inquired her teammate. "Can you tell me that?" They had all finally found the strength to block out the sound of the flute.

It seemed Sai could. "You jumped in front of him because you love him. That's what women do. I read so in a book." the boy shrugged. Naruto felt his cheeks turn pink and remember what he had been about to tell Sakura before Sai walked in and ruined the moment.

Sakura's eyes clouded over and her lips parted. "Could I really that say that, and mean it...?" she asked herself. "Yes, you're right, Sai...I think the way I talk to him, the way everything smiles upon me when he's around makes it obvious." She turned to look at Naruto, and spoke before she even noticed a big flaw in the rooms design. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I lo—" She stopped mid sentence, opening her eyes.

It was very unfortunate, what happened as she almost finished speaking. Two kunai flew through the window, striking Sai in the left thigh and chest. It seemed Naruto's luck, however, was worse. He was no longer in the room.

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**Srsly, plz review kthnkz. xD I need more reviews...Even though this story sux. Chapter ten is only two paragraphs long, so I might update it later today because I can. 0o Then you'll have to wait longer for chapter ten. Oh, and sorry about the cliffy. It's my job to piss my readers off.**

**Until next time,  
Lovers,  
Simone**


	10. Chapter 10

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Chapter Ten — Don't Cry.

"Sai!" Sakura yelled as her teammate fell limply to the floor. She glanced urgently around the room. "Naruto-kun!" she yelled, after not seeing him, her heart speeding up with worry.

Sakura fell on her knees next to Sai, moving her hands over his wounds. "Sai! Sai!" she choked out, thrusting her hand on the emergency button. "Don't die! Don't...Don't die!" she sobbed, looking down at him with tears in her eyes.

"I won't die...If you don't...cry." Sai replied, voice hoarse, which made Sakura's breathing begin to calm down. Her heart, however, felt like it had been crushed. What had happened? And why...? Why was that flute still playing, that soothing tune that only made her want to scream? And then it stopped. Just out of nowhere, it ended. But Sakura didn't notice. She sunk to the ground, her arms over Sai's bleeding body as she waited for the nurses to come.

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**Hope you're not having this urge to claw my eyes out. Just going to have to wait until the next update, right?**

**Lovers,  
Simone**


	11. Chapter 11

**I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! Oh, it'll piss you off so much. x3 Ahahaha...Anyways, since people seemed mad about my last chapter, I decided to be nice and update with something a bit longer. Ah yes, there will be a bit of _shounen-ai_ (boy on boy) in this fanfiction, but ONLY A LITTLE! And that's because I originally wrote this for my yaoi-obsessed friend. So yes, some SasuNaru, but I PROMISE, it's not gonna end SasuNaru/SaiSaku, even if it kinda looks that way. **

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Chapter Eleven — Hate

Naruto ran down the street, panting heavily with each step he took. 'No way...She had been about to...' He stopped in his tracks, taking deep breaths. 'DAMMIT, fucking coward!' Naruto turned swiftly to face a brick wall.

"FUUUUUCK!" he screamed angrily, punching the wall with all the strength he could muster. Blood dripped down his knuckles, but he ignored it, angry tears stinging his eyes. "She's going to hate me for running away..."

"Yes, indeed she will, Naruto-kun." a gentle voice whispered into his ear. Naruto shuddered and swung himself around in shock. A women, with long black curly locks and harsh, dark cold eyes was smirking at him, merely a few inches away. Though it seemed her forehead protector wasn't visible, he could tell by her scene where she came from. She was an Oto-nin. The fact she wore a purple bow around her waist was pretty much a dead giveaway, anyways.

Naruto twitched away from her. "Who are you?" he snarled, silently putting a hand over his shuriken pouch in case the time came he needed to attack. The women didn't reply for a moment, as if thinking of a response, and then finally shrugged.

"An...acquaintance, perhaps?" she inquired. Naruto shook his head, disgusted. "I suppose not." she sighed. "A friend of a friend, then? Is that good enough for you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto continued to glare at her, suspicious. "You're one of Orochimaru's followers." he snapped. The women laughed cruel. A cold, high-pitched laugh.

"Follower!? My dear boy, I am more like his MASTER, thank you very much. Believe it or not, I'm over thirty years older than Orochimaru. I helped train the Legendary Three's wonderful snake tamer!" The women threw back her head and laughed again. Then her eyes grew cold. "Yet, he is acknowledged. Oh, it's not like he'd be dead without my training, oh no." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Naruto could only blink with the shock he felt. The information was indeed very overwhelming, and quite interesting as well. "If that's the truth..." He paused. "Then you must know Sasuke, and you're partially his sensei as well. So why — what did you do!?" Naruto's eyes widened as he remember the sound of that annoying flute playing earlier in the hospital.

"Yes, that was me..." the women murmured softly. She swiftly reached her hand into her jacket and pulled out a flute of clear crystal and blew into it carefully, making the same melody from before. "I meant to the kill the women, but I changed my mind at the last minute, for that would have been harsh. And then! You ran away! You stupid boy! So I just hit your other friend with two kunai. I don't doubt the lovely young lady is mourning over his death right now." the women cooed. By now, Naruto was shaking with rage.,

"Bitch! What do you want from me!?" yelled Naruto, clenching his still bleeding fists and baring his teeth.

"Sasuke-kun, of course! He never had the courage — or he just didn't want to — to wear a Otokagure forehead protector! Oh, that makes me so mad. I plan on using you, love, to make him come back to us. To me. Poor Naruto. You have no idea about Sasuke's feelings!" the women explained, reaching out and stroking his hair. "He is so jealous of that cute girl you're so madly in love with. He'd do anything to be in her place." she continued, voice. "I feel so bad for him."

Naruto was shock. "Sa-Sasuke isn't—! I don't know what you're getting at, but—! God...dammit!" he snapped, stomach falling.

"If you're worrying about his sexuality, he wasn't like that before he came to us." Orochimaru's sensei said, sounding bored. "It's Orochimaru's fault, always ranting about women and how all they ever do is seduce men. Ahh, I don't even want to think about him." She shook her shining locks with the same amount of disgust Naruto had had before, and then stared at the blonde.

"Who...are you?"

"My name is Akina. Pleased, call me that, Naruto-kun. Sasuke is my...friend. Personally, I think he matters more to me than Orochimaru. Well, he does. Be forewarned, however...Sasuke is more powerful than ever before." Akina murmured, stroking Naruto's cheek. "Be afraid."

Naruto had never been so frightened in his life. His heart was racing at top-speed. He had been given too much information all at one time, and his brain was cramped. A shudder ran down his spine as Akina brushed her lips against his cheek.

"Good luck, Naruto. I will bring Sasuke-kun back. I swear it." whispered the women, before her body started to dissolve. Naruto stared at the empty space and then fell to his knees.

"It all fits..." he whispered weakly to himself. "Fuck it all...bastards...It's not fair..." he groaned, clutching his head. It would never be fair.

He stepped forward and over to the counter, sighing. "Ummm...What number is Sai's room?" he asked the nurse weakly. He really didn't want to see Sai at the moment, but he had to make sure he was alright. Naruto was beginning to blame himself for the horrible mess.

"Oh, he didn't stay in the hospital. Stubborn thing wouldn't let us even heal his wounds. He seemed angry. Sakura-san was the only one he'd let help him." the nurse explained. "He went back to her house." Naruto bit his lip, thanked the nurse, and left, heading for Sakura's house.

He knocked on the door, and waited impatiently. His stomach was squirming at the thought of seeing them again, but he had to, he knew he had to. The door opened, and Sakura stood in front of him.

"Sakura-chan, I'm glad you're feeling bet—" He was cut off, struck across the face with a hard slap. "Wh-what the hell, Sakura-chan!?" he cried, looking at her, confused. He rubbed the bruise, and stepped backwards, seeing her incredibly angry expression.

"Everyone I ever trust always turns out to be a traitor! I take back everything, Naruto! EVERYTHING! I don't love you. I do care that you're the horrible fox demon. Bastard." The words she spoke struck Naruto harder than her hand had. He watched her cry and his ripped heart throbbed.

"Sakura-chan, no...You can't mean that. Sakura-chan...No." His voice was now hoarse and tough, weaker than a whisper. Before he could yell her name, the door had been slammed in his face.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think of Akina? Personally, I kinda like her. xD My favorite couple with her? NaruAki. OC-OTP! Lol, sorry, I'm a bit sugar high...Anyways, reviews are ALWAYS loved! Things should be cleared up in the next chapter. This is the last plot twist in the fanfiction, only four more chapters to go!**

**Lovers,  
Simone**


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